Poor Communication in Workplace Essay

This project evaluates the problem of communication in organizations. It is based on my experience in Youth Health Partnership Organization. This organization works to improve health infrastructure in order to enhance health outcomes in communities. Communication is key to success of any organization. It determines whether an organization wills succeed in its mission or not. In spite of a lot of effort put to improve communication, some factors still affect and hinder effective communication. In Youth Health Partnership Organization, there existed differences between the effectiveness of employer’s message and what employees interpreted it. The management normally assume that that the way they communicate is received and interpreted well by employees. However, this is not always the case. RopeASW conducted a survey in 2009; where they found out that 55% of managers who responded to the survey assume they communicate well with workers. 65% of employees said that their seniors do not communicate well (Zaremba, 2010). In my study I found out that lack of credibility increases the communication gap between employers and employees. Many employees do not believe what they are told by management. This study shows that employees with longer tenure are less likely to belief their superiors than new employees. This proposal will focus on all causes of communication problem. It will also give recommendation in order to give good solutions to eliminate this problem. It contains a conclusion at the end. Statement of Problem             Communication is the most important and basic activity of a company. In organizations, communication is becoming more complex because of work activities and multi-cultural environment which is becoming complex at high rate. Availability of high transmission media also contribute to communication breakdown (Zaremba, 2010). Companies are required to focus more on communication so that they can effectively increase job satisfaction in work place. Lack of good communication leads to actions not completed. Management ends up being out of touch with the staff that it needs to motivate so that the company can operate at full potential. Poor communicate affects even the customer department making the company lose sales. It also makes organizations making poor decisions which affect the progress of the company. The company ends up losing workers and money. Many researchers have researched widely on communication issues. However, there has been few studies in this area. The need for this project is to explore the effects of poor communication, causes and solutions to the problem. The proposal is important to companies as it will help them put in place communication networks. These networks give different perspectives of employees. It will also assist companies boost the morale of employees as well as increasing job satisfaction. These benefits will be derived from this study. Management Plan             This section contains my qualification for carrying out project research. It also contains cost incurred. I already books and articles on communication, hence I used most of my time sifting through information, looking for key results. The only cost I incurred was in printing and copying articles. I obtained all sources of literature review from university library. My experience in Youth Health Partnership Organization helped me to assimilate proposed literature review. Literature Review             I started the project with the understanding that communication is the foundation of any organization. I discovered it is important to evaluate the solutions to communication problems. I reviewed relevant literature to support my study. I used literature related to communication; others expressed the effect of communication on job satisfaction of employees. I other literature showed the perception of both male and female in the organization. Finally, I included literature that dealt with ways of improving communication. Zaremba(2010) argues that there exist differences in the way male and female employees perceive communication behaviors of their seniors. According to Zaremba (2010) managers’ leadership style, conflict management skills contribute to effectiveness of communication. Research Methodology             In this research, different methods were used to collect information and data. Primary sources used were interviews and conversations. Journals were used as secondary sources. Variables             I used formal communication, informal communication and communication climate as my variables. The three variables were affected by various issues. Communication climate             This is the atmosphere that is created by people who use listening skills, verbal and non-verbal communication skills. It involves how communication takes place in an organization. The environment in which communication is taking place determines if communication will take place or not. Communication climate is affected by various factors and one of them is credibility (Klyuknanov, 2013). Credibility involves the qualification of the sources of information. It also involves the consistency with which knowledge is applied and the overall reliability. Credibility starts from the top level management and it trickles down to the middle level managers up to operational level. If workers believe that that their seniors lack credibility this contribute to poor and closed communication climate. The second factor that influences communication climate is trust. Trust is a firm reliance on the ability, integrity and character of a person. Whenever employees lack trust in their manager, communication is hindered. This is because lack of trust brings suspicion (Zaremba, 2010). Openness also affects communication climate. Openness is said to be a free expression of ones opinion and true feelings. It also refers to the ability to receive new ideas, relationships and new experiences. If people are not ready to express their ideas and opinions, then effective communication does not take place. Information cannot be shared where people fear retaliation or being betrayed (Rayundu, 2010).. Another factor the impacts on communication climate is existence of rumors. Poor communication is caused by exaggerated rumors and vindictive ones. At the same time, when rumors are innocuous, good communication climate is enhanced. Rule of assertiveness is the last factor. Enforcement of rules may or may not affect communication. Strict rules frustrate high performers. They also contribute to inflexibility. Formal communication             These are means of communication that are controlled by management. It involves sharing of ideas that support clear agendas where interaction of employees is structured. Formal communication can be in written or unwritten form. Written forms include newsletter, letter of congratulation, memos, and legal advisories. Non written forms include telephone calls, meetings, interviews and conferences. Problems arises when one caries communication outside the established channels. My research has revealed that if one tries to solve a problem in another person’s area, it leaves people in that areas feeling alienated and taken for granted. Informal communication             This is spontaneous and casual communication. It involves rumors, casual conversations and grapevines. Information is shared in socializing workers through conversation, text messages, telephone calls and electronic mails. Informal communication does not follow lines of authority. This can be misused to create an atmosphere of fear and suspicion (Rayundu, 2010). Recommendations Open communication climate             The management should establish supportive environment where workers can pass information to their seniors without fearing and being certain that the management will accept is the way it is without whether bad or good, favorable or unfavorable. They should also establish participative environment. This is an environment where employees feel that whatever they have to say counts. Best ideas and suggestions that improve productivity comes from workers in assembly line. Employees in customer care department are acquainted with a lot of information that can spell doom to marketing effort. Employees share information with management when they feel that they are treated as participants who are legitimate in the company. The management should focus in reducing complex reporting procedure, harsh regulatory policies, bureaucracy, and encumbering paper work because they discourage employees from participating actively. Actions should to be taken to encourage subordinates to participate actively. Managers, team leaders and supervisors must learn to listen to grievances, suggestions, complains and respond accordingly. Supervisors must be ready to open up to criticism that is brought by participation of employees and be ready to correct their behaviors and explain them. Management should ensure that supervisors and employees collaborate in order to have an open communication climate. Trusting Environment             Parties involved in sharing information must always tell the truth. This improves credibility of information communicated. Management should make sure they do not give contradicting information. For an organization to have good communication climate, it must ensure that information is true and the source can be trusted. This is because the belief in a person to be able to convey correct information is essential. Managers, team leaders and supervisors should lower their defenses in order to encourage sharing of information in an honest way such that truth is promoted. Appropriate action should be taken to follow communication intentions. Listening actively             During communication process, participants should offer full attention. One should turn and lean forward towards the other party. Eye contact should also be maintained during conversation. To enhance one’s ability, non verbal signals should be incorporated. One should let his colleague know he or she is listening by nodding his head, smiling and by making facial expressions. Arms should be kept folded and fists unclenched. During formal or informal communication, feedback should be given by paraphrasing the other person’s ideas. Having knowledge             Communication is always hindered whenever people of different cultures are involved in cross culture communication. It requires that one understands the potential problem and work on overcoming them. Whenever one is not successful, he should make necessary adjustments in order to succeed in the next period. When different languages are involved, misunderstanding increases due to translation. People need to bee aware that both verbal and non verbal communication has different meaning to different people. Cross cultural communication is hindered by verbal and non verbal communications because having different meaning. One should be forgiving and patient with others when a problem arises. A hostile, forceful and aggressive employer leads to poor communication. One ought to progress slowly rather than quickly whenever different cultures are involved without assume that you already know. When one is in a heated conflict, he or she should stop and think before he or she acts. Withdrawing gives a chance for one to reflect and think on the best course of action before acting. Having knowledge of cross cultural communication will help one to listen reflectively. One should also develop good behavior at the right place because what is considered as a good behavior may be a bad behavior in another culture. One can decide whether to stand when talking, look someone in the yes or not. Cultures have different ways of expressing emotions during communication. Sme people yell while others cry while angry. Others do not show any emotion. Overcoming these issues is only by being aware of the problem One should also give a summary of what the other person is saying. I also recommend asking appropriate and effective questions. This may involve simple things such as asking question in order to clarify ideas or points that are not clear. One should also remain open minded. Focusing on ones goals, questions and problems hinders one from listening, absorbing and understanding the other person. Interruptions should be kept at minimum and the speaker should be given enough time to finish whatever he is saying. Win-win approach             The management should use win-win approach in communication. When should concentrates on the needs and interest of speaker. One should not aim to gain victory or gain position over other people. In order to create good will among employees, win-win approach should be used because each person understands the needs of each other in this approach. In order to achieve this, employees should be encouraged to have self disclosure. They need to be encouraged to open up to their colleagues. They should be taught to appreciate and accept themselves first in order to be in a position to share information with other employees. This provides feedback to his or her colleagues on how their behaviors affect him or her. At the same time, supervisors should have empathy. They should try to understand and feel what others goes through. They should learn to respond to what is said, retain distance and objectivity, understand feelings of others in the message and also understand the content of the message. This will ultimately lead to win-n situation that boost communication. Conclusion             The focus of this proposal is to identify a problem in the work place and develop a solution to that issue. For this purpose, I identified poor communication as a major problem in workplace. I focused on three dimensions to communication. Communication climate can have a positive or negative effect on communication. It should be a supportive and participative climate. The second dimension is formal communication and the last one is informal communication. The recommendations I discussed in this proposal is for companies to maintain open communication climate, have a win-win approach to communication, create trusting environment. Participants should learn the skills of listening actively. This will not only improve communication but also increase job satisfaction. References Klyukanov, I. (2013). Digital humanities, scholarly communication and communication science. Modern communication studies, 2(1), 43-53. Rayudu, C. S. (2010). Communication (Rev. ed.). Mumbai [India: Himalaya Pub. House. Zaremba, A. J. (2010). Organizational communication (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. CarriÃÆ' ¨re, J., & Bourque, C. (2009). The effects of organizational communication on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in a land ambulance service and the mediating role of communication satisfaction. Career Development International, 14(1), 29-49. Ryabova, I. (2013). Communication components of management and organizational culture of the company. Modern communication studies, 2(2), 13-40. Book, I. (2009). Communication. Chicago: World Book, Inc.. Source document

How Does Stevenson Create Intrigue & Interest for Th E Reader

Explore how Stevenson creates a sense of intrigue and engages the reader’s interest in ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Throughout this novel Stevenson consistently uses his characters to create and engage the reader’s curiosity; Utterson first stokes the mystery of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde when he regards to Mr Enfield; ‘Did you ever remark that door? – Enfield returning with the recital of an unusual story in which Mr Hyde is mentioned for the first time. Stevenson uses Hyde’s brutal and seemingly horrifying mentality to arrest the reader’s attention; ensuring not to give the reader to much detail so as to capture their interest and leave them hanging on the end of every unanswered question.As the story continues, Stevenson strategically places events and clues to give the reader a wider picture of the elusive Mr Hyde without giving them too much information; an example of the mystery being gradually expanded is in chapter two when Utterso n is searching for Hyde – the reader discovers that Utterson has the will of Dr Henry Jekyll in which the reader learns that Hyde is entitled to Henry Jekyll’s inheritance and that he is allowed to pass freely in and out of Jekyll’s house; the will and Jekyll’s trust in Hyde being used in order to establish a link between the both of them.In chapter four the reader learns that Hyde has murdered Sir Danvers Carew; a man of high status, giving us further insight into Hyde’s true and careless nature and awarding the reader with a further link between Hyde and Jekyll.When the reader discovers in chapter five that Dr Jekyll has forged a letter for Mr Hyde it is important to note that Stevenson is constantly challenging the reader as to why Jekyll and Hyde are connected since the two are classed in different ranks of society; Jekyll was a respected doctor whom was described as a ‘large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty’ with every mark o f capacity and kindness’ who lived in a ‘square of ancient, handsome houses’ whereas Hyde is hated by many and was ‘pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation’ who lived in ‘the dismal quarter of Soho’ ‘with its muddy ways, and slatternly passages’ – it’s a wonder to the reader what Jekyll saw in the lower class Hyde. Stevenson creates Dr Jekyll in contrast to Mr Hyde using vivid yet entirely opposite descriptions of the two men to create an interesting dynamic within the novel; challenging the reader as to whether the lower and higher class people within Victorian society can walk on an equal level. In the final two hapters Stevenson reveals to the reader that Henry Jekyll has been manipulating science in such a way that, using ‘unscientific balderdash’, he has split the human conscience; the good side of the conscience being Dr Jekyll and the evil side of the conscience being Mr Hyde – the reader is horrified that science has been used in such a way but the shock of the novel is stimulating and has been written in such a way that the raw brutality of the story gives the reader a thrill. The way in which Stevenson intrigues the reader is mainly down to the way in which he withholds and presents particular details from the reader so that through the novel they can only accumulate a shaded judgement of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ and that only in the final chapters, when every clue is given a meaning, can they truly understand Dr Jekyll’s true nature; it is in this way that Stevenson induces excitement, curiosity and mystery into his novel and creates an outstanding air of intrigue and interest.

Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability Essay Example for Free (#4)

Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability Essay Exercise1 Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability Name ____________________________________________________________ Lab Time/Date ______________________________ Activity 1 Simulating Dialysis (Simple Diffusion) 1. Describe two variables that affect the rate of diffusion. * The size of the pores of the membrane * The size of the molecule diffusing through the membrane 2. Why do you think the urea was not able to diffuse through the 20 MWCO membrane? How well did the results compare with your prediction? * Because the pores of the membrane were not large enough * I predicted this correctly. 3. Describe the results of the attempts to diffuse glucose and albumin through the 200 MWCO membrane. How well did the results compare with your prediction? I predicted that only glucose would diffuse through it and was right. Albumin is too heavy to diffuse through that membrane. 4. Put the following in order from smallest to largest molecular weight: glucose, sodium chloride, albumin, and urea. NaCl, Urea, Glucose, Albumin Activity 2 Simulated Facilitated Diffusion 1. Explain one way in which facilitated diffusion is the same as simple diffusion and one way in which it differs. -Similar – They pass through the membrane without the use of ATP, they’re both forms of passive transport. -Different – The solutes in facilitated diffusion pass through a carrier protein while the solutes pass through the membrane in simple diffusion. 2.The larger value obtained when more glucose carriers were present corresponds to an increase in the rate of glucose transport. Explain why the rate increased. How well did the results compare with your prediction? Since there were more carrier proteins, more glucose could diffuse into the cell at one time which made the process go along much quicker. I predicted this correctly. 3.Explain your prediction for the effect Na+Cl− might have on glucose transport. In other words, explain why you picked the choice that you did. How well did the results compare with your prediction? I said that the rate of diffusion would decrease, which was wrong, because I figured that having the NaCl would equalize the concentration gradient and make the concentration gradient and make it a slower process. The rate actually remained unaffected because NaCl is not required for glucose in the simulation. Activity 3 Simulating Osmotic Pressure 1. Explain the effect that increasing the Na+Cl− concentration had on osmotic pressure and why it has this effect. How well did the results compare with your prediction? I predicted correctly in saying that the NaCl concentration would increase the pressure because they are directly related, meaning if one increased, that means the other one must have increased as well. 2. Describe one way in which osmosis is similar to simple diffusion and one way in which it is different. -Similar – Solutes can still pass through the membrane in both simple diffusion and osmosis. -Different – In diffusion, the particles go from high concentration regions to low concentration regions, while in osmosis it crosses from a region of low solute concentration to high solute concentration. 3.Solutes are sometimes measured in milliosmoles. Explain the statement, â€Å"Water chases milliosmoles.† Water follows the solutes (milliosmoles) into higher concentrated areas of solutes, me aning it was going against the concentration gradient and â€Å"chasing the milliosmoles.† 4.The conditions were 9 mM albumin in the left beaker and 10 mM glucose in the right beaker with the 200 MWCO membrane in place. Explain the results. How well did the results compare with your prediction? Keeping in mind the past activities, I predicted correctly before doing this activity. The glucose diffused through to the left beaker forming equilibrium, which created osmotic pressure on the left side. The albumin cannot fit through that membrane so it didn’t reach equilibrium. Activity 5 Simulating Active Transport 1. Describe the significance of using 9 mM sodium chloride inside the cell and 6 mM potassium chloride outside the cell, instead of other concentration ratios. Because the sodium-potassium pump needs a 3:2 ratio to function, meaning once the concentration of the KCl runs out then the NaCl cannot function either. 2. Explain why there was no sodium transport even though ATP was present. How well did the results compare with your prediction? I predicted wrong with this activity because I said that the Na+ would be maximally transported. I know now that although in the presence of ATP, the pump still cannot function without any K. 3. Explain why the addition of glucose carriers had no effect on sodium or potassium transport. How well did the results compare with your prediction? I also predicted incorrectly on this one because I did not realize that the glucose carriers don’t need ATP to function so they were still at the mercy of how much potassium there was in the sodium-potassium pump. I thought that there would be easier access into the cell for the Na and K cells. 4.Do you think glucose is being actively transported or transported by facilitated diffusion in this experiment? Explain your answer. Facilitated diffusion because it is moving with the concentration gradie nt and the glucose carriers don’t require ATP to transport the glucose. Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability. (2016, Apr 02).

Literature review on Nurse Prescribing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Literature review on Nurse Prescribing - Essay Example he basic rationale given as to why the inclusion of nurses was limited to health visitors and district nurses was that they could be identified from the Unitd Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting (UKCC) registry if they have completed further education from the time of registration (Jones 10). As of 2002, nurse prescribers number to approximately 22000 in the UK, and of this number, 300 are in Scotland (Bates 63). The main goal of nurse prescribing is to give the utmost benefit to the patients. It aims to provide more efficient and faster access to health care. The duties of nurses in relation to prescribing after undergoing training include prescribing pharmacy and general sales list medicines which are prescribed by General Practitioners, and prescribing prescription-only medicines or POMs associated with certain medical conditions. The role of the nurses in making prescribing decisions has responsibility tagged with it along with accountability. The nurses are both professionally and legally accountable wherein they have to be thoroughly knowledgeable on the products or medicines they are prescribing, when these over-the-counter products should be recommended, and when certain products should not be prescribed or recommended. The nurse’s working knowledge should be based on the circumstances of the patients including the current medications, current health status, past health or medical history, ample information and understanding of the products’ dosage, therapeutic action, interaction, and side effects, data on the alternatives to prescribing, and the frequency of use depending on the conditions (Courtenay and Butler 5). While prescribing entails more responsibility, competence and more learning aptitude for the nurses, and exposes them to more possible liabilities and patient complaints, not all medical professionals are open to the perceived benefits of nurse prescribing to the patients, doctors and the nurses

Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea influence by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Essay

Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea influence by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre - Essay Example The Caribbean fashioned Rhys's sensibility and she remained nostalgic for the emotional vigor of its black people. But the conflict between its beauty and its cruel history became internalized within her own self destructive personality. In the 1960's Rhys gained international recognition with the publication of her most admired novel, Wide Sargasso Sea. The novel had its origins early in life. As a young girl when Rhys read Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre, she began to imagine the Caribbean upbringing of the character Rochester's infamous Creole wife, Bertha Mason. The result is one of literature's most famous prequels, an aesthetic experiment in modernist techniques and a powerful example of feminist rewriting Wide Sargasso Sea gives voice to a peripheral character and transforms her tragic demise into a kind of victorious heroine. But this is un-typical of the feminist writers of the by-gone era where literature writing and reading by women was quite to the contrary where heroines were depicted in a more positive light. Feminist writing has had a long development. Nineteenth-century English women writers sought and created the sense of literary community by reading one another's books (Shattock p.8). They studied clo sely books written by their own gender and developed a sense of comfortable familiarity with the women who wrote them. There were very intelligent women reading other intelligent women who were also perceptive critics of each other's work and conveyed their views sometimes in personal correspondence and other times in published reviews. Those reading the books felt they knew the authors. There was a sense of community with women readers of fiction and the emergence of female heroines as role models. Even so, there was a certain fascination in searching for the women behind the books since very few people knew them personally and the professional writers did not live in the public domain. They were not university members and did not visit social clubs and societies, gave no lectures, their association with politics were minimal, travel opportunities were limited and their personal lives were the subject of gossip mainly derived from the work they produced. In the nineteenth century a lthough their contribution to journalism was increasing, they conducted the work from home. The twentieth century female writer was much more emancipated, free to characterize her heroines in any way she chose. They portrayal of male characters had no restrictions. Rhys does not hesitate to depict her protagonist and her husband in extreme ways. Returning to the theme of dominance and dependence, ruling and being ruled, Rhys narrates the relationship between a self-assured European man and a powerless woman. The character of Antoinette Bertha Cosway, a West Indian, provides a vehicle for Rhys to examine the conflicting cultures. Her black playmate called her a "white nigger" during her childhood. She marries Edward Rochester a domineering Englishman and follows him to his native country. In the same way Bertha in Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre ends up confined in the attic of a her husband's country house Antoinette too finds herself in similar circumstances. Many reviewers have examined the "feminine" and "masculine" aspects of Jane Eyre. The novel has been found to evoke 'charm' and 'power' (Boumelha p.2). Some consider its strengths

GM CASE WEEKLY Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GM WEEKLY - Case Study Example The main company’s value brand is the Hotpoint and general electric served as the quality line brand. In early 1970’s, MABG management viewed the dishwasher business as an issue despite its market share being over 20+% and its strong financial performance. Most of the GE’s washers manufactured are different from other competitive models, and the dishwashers got criticized as they are heavy water users that translated into excess energy use. Following the quality issues, Jack Welch challenged MABG by proposing a simple fix on the dishwasher business in to make it efficient in operational standards. As a result, thirteen members were put together to architect and implement a key step change (Project C) in the process, product and the workforce factors of the GE’s dishwasher business. The changes included manufacturing changes and workforce changes as Nag Hambrick and Chen (2007) proposed. In the case of manufacturing changes, Moeller, and his team proposed to totally redo the key Louisville dishwasher sections to fully complement and adopt a cellular approach on major production stages. The changes were to get integrated along with PermaTuf and door redesign. Additionally, the team proposed to pursue automation aggressively to reduce cost and improve quality along with product design modification according to constraints and capabilities of the new process. There was also the integration of product testing within manufacturing to an entirely separate quality control organization. The proposed principle to focus on Louisville dishwasher plant on the General Electric-Perma Tuf C product line is an appropriate way to achieve world-class leadership. It is because the concentration on the process productivity, quality and work life quality will enhance production quality. The principle also aims at reducing the number of product parts in the plant from 4,000 to 800. Workforce changes were also significant to part of the Project C. The

Common stereotypes from Boston Baby-Boomers Essay

Common stereotypes from Boston Baby-Boomers - Essay Example Baby boomers are individuals born before 1946. First, there is a millennial culture and that of none millennial culture. The millennium culture is promoted by the younger generation born after 1980. Moreover, the people who support the baby boomers culture are the baby boomers. According to the studies, there is a cultural conflict that exists between the Millennial the non-millennial generations. For instance, some managers and younger workers perceive non-millennium as being checkouts not interested in training and development and that they are individuals who are disengaging from their work. In addition, they also view the millennial generation as rigid and inflexible workers. Also, there are leaders who see baby boomers as individuals with mores skills, experience, value the job and that they are equally productive as a millennial. The study on Fortune 500 Company shows that the older workers are happier with their work as compared to the younger generation workers. Non millennial employees say they stay in an organization because they find it meaningful and not because they lack options. Therefore stereotyping has its risks that can endanger the operations of an organization, for instance, baby boomers view the younger generation as less kindly and spoiled. On the other hand, the younger generation sees baby boomers as individuals not operating under the new technologies. Also, baby boomers make their workplace the point of focus in their lives. That is; they put a lot of effort and determination in their daily

Week Four Assignment Caledonia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week Four Assignment Caledonia - Essay Example Thus, the yearly cash inflows realized in Project A can be utilized for another investment that will even yield more than $40,000 profit by the end of 4 years. It is through utilizing the IRR formula that reflects the acceptability of Project A because IRR considers all cash flows and time value of money, both crucial and important in the real business world. When analyzing the financial considerations under the lease versus buy decision process, one needs to consider the LCC (Life Cycle Cost) of either leasing or buying and operating and maintaining the hardware. The most meaningful financial comparison is the cost of lease financing versus the cost of debt financing (which are both not mentioned on this given problem). While comparing absolute LCC is important, it is equally critical to take into consideration fiscal budgetary constraints. While the LCC of leasing may be higher over the entire term the hardware is leased, the annual expenditures may fit better with budgetary limitations. However, the lease versus buy decision cannot be based purely on financial data or budgetary considerations. The decision must be made on a best value consideration. A best value selection analysis would introduce intangible benefits that could be benefits of either leasing or

Boeing, Corporate Welfare Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Boeing, Corporate Welfare - Research Paper Example Despite of increasing national debt of $6 trillion, big profitable corporations like IBM, Motorola, General Electric, AT&T, FedEx, Lucent Technologies, United Technologies, Raytheon, General Motors, Mobil Oil, Enron, Halliburton and Boeing continued to receive corporate welfare (Barlett and Steele, 1998; Sanders, 2013, Welfareinfo, 2013; Slivinski, 2007). Half of the financial backing from Export-Import bank (EXIM bank), about 45.6 percent is consistently received by Boeing making it the largest receiver; in 2011 alone it received $40.7 billion as loan guarantees (De Rugy, 2012; Welfareinfo, 2013). In the present essay, critical evaluation of the issues concerning Boeing and corporate welfare is carried out. First it is defined for better understanding the term, then justification and motives behind corporate welfare are analyzed, followed by examining the degree of corporate welfare received by Boeing and its justification. The other aims of this essay are to know whether the people who pay the costs of corporate welfare necessarily reap the benefits and the case with Boeing. This essay also puts light on corporate welfare consistency with the advocacy of free markets and non-interference by government and what ultimately, crates fobs, prosperity, and rising in incomes and the difference in perspectives and evaluation of corporate welfare at the local, national and international level. 2. Corporate Welfare Definition expend Corporate welfare refers to all the expenditures by the government towards direct and indirect subsidies provided to private sector and businesses. Corporate welfare can be defined as â€Å"any federal spending program that provides payments or unique benefits and advantages to specific companies or industries† (Slivinski, 2007, p.1). The separate definitions of the two terms helps in understanding it better, welfare according to dictionary.com (2013, Para: 5) is â€Å"receiving financial aid from the government or from a private or ganization because of hardship and need†. And corporate welfare is nothing but â€Å"welfare for businesses usually given to big corporations† (Collins, 2009, Para: 2). Time magazine in its special coverage defines Corporate welfare â€Å"as any action by local, state or federal government that gives a corporation or an entire industry a benefit not offered to others† (Barlett and Steel, 1998, Para:4). However in US corporate welfare system is very complicated and extensive. Its aim is not to improve standard of living or poverty prevention unlike the welfare provided to individuals, this and its expanse of interests makes it a very controversial and debatable issue because a single congressional committee cannot monitor or control it (Welfare info, 2013). Corporate welfare can be in the form of subsidies, grants, aids, real estate, loans with low-interest rate, tax break, deferral, exemption, deduction, lower tax or a government service (Barlett and Steele, 1998 ). 3. Justifications for

Listen actively Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Listen actively - Essay Example Listening to Olivia my childhood friend becomes a task when she has full five minutes to speak and I could not utter a word. Initial one-two minutes went good and I focused as much as I could, but the rest three were impossible to pass. She had been reading Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and since, I have already read it before; the story entailed minimal interest for me. Secondly, I was having this surging urge to check my cell phone for facebook, twiter, email, messages updates. Overall, this experience taught me I am not a good listener and I rather like to interrupt the speaker to add my piece of mind. On the other hand, Olivia is good at listening according to her those five minutes were significant. Since, I shared my thoughts about bullying issues, which I have been facing in the school lately. I must say it feels refreshing to be listened intently and I shared the stuff, which I was not intending to share with her. Question 2: Recalled an encounter in which you were saying something important but the other person gave you negative feedback. How did the feedback affect your communication? Your relationship? Is negative feedback ever appropriate? If so, under which circumstances? I was out with a friend in the mall and we were just discussing some relationship issues she recently had. I do not like to share my personal issues with people as they do not understand how I establish actions to secure myself. After more than half an hour of sharing done by her, she started asking me a lot of questions. Initially, I tried to give secure answers by not giving answers which would depict me as a loser about my situation, but later on I shared a bit of my dilemma. Exactly after my sharing she abruptly started concluding pessimistically the whole story without empathizing. Her negative feedback made me more defensive and I got a little angry too and eventually this made me regret the sharing I did. For the next time, I

Calvetta Essay Example for Free

Calvetta Essay 4. How, if at all, should Calveta’s organization structure and practices be changed to accommodate growth and effective communication, while maintaining the company’s culture? This is a very sticky issue. Growth, along with other factors, seems to have diminishing effects on company culture, popularly referred to as â€Å"Antonio’s way†. Two forms of growth present themselves to the company. They can either expand into the hospital segment (which falls in line with core competencies); or they could buy up GSD consequently growing their SLF customer base. Given the issues listed, I don’t believe purchasing GSD would be profitable, as debt financing would have to be undertaken thus, going against Antonio’s way. However, Frank believes they must grow in order to stay competitive within the industry so the former opportunity should be undertaken. The turnover, and promotion rate for Calveta is too rapid. It’s one of the major issues dissatisfied customers had with the SLF. Frank should consider slowing this down, and perhaps placing new staff members in proper training programs administered by current staff to ensure smooth staff changes. Whilst flexibility and ease of advancement may make the employees happier, the customers will suffer from the constant interrupted changes. Calveta should maintain a degree of normalcy in the workplace, and make it harder to advance (could have positive affects on employees motivation). Another structural issue is the current staff organization. If Frank is worried about the loss of emphasis on his father’s ideals he must communicate this effectively with the staff. Discussion groups, incentive packages, and achievable goals should be established for all staff members, especially new ones, so that company culture is maintained and reinforced. If Calveta are to grow, they will need a larger amount of regional employees. This will most likely lead to the hiring of persons outside of the company. Calveta need not hire them right out of college though. They may obtain them from similar companies with similar values and ideals. As GSD is about to be taken over, perhaps the better staff members may wish to come to Calveta  instead of staying on with a new owner. To ensure continuation of company culture pointed questions in the interview and recruitment process pertaining to it should be asked. Similarly, constant feedback for current employees would reinforce challenge 4, of Antonio’s way.

The Kite Tunner Essay Example for Free

The Kite Tunner Essay In The Kite Runner, even though Hassan remains loyal, forgiving, and good natured, he is still the character who suffers the most. Hassan is a character who is discriminated against from the start of the book, till the very end. He is a part of a poor ethnic group called Hazaras whom are considered victims in the Afghan society. Amir and Hassan are half brothers, but because Hassan was a Hazara, he grew up in a hut as a servant working for his own father. Hassan understands his inferiority and accepts it, which causes other people to take advantage of him by betraying him. For example, even though Hassan always stood up for Amir, Amir left Hassan to get raped. Hassan was too scared to stand up for his best friend and believed that Hassan is sacrificing himself for Amir. Not only was the rape an attack physically, but it is also an attack on the victim’s emotions and dignity. In the Kite Runner, Hassan suffers the most pain both physically and mentally by living his life being betrayed, discriminated and losing his family. To start off, Hassan is a poor ethnic Hazara, he is considered inferior to the Afghan society, and therefore is discriminated throughout the whole novel. For example, Hassan and Amir both have the same rich father, but because Hassan was illegitimate and was a Hazara, he grew up as a servant in his father’s hut. With this in mind, Hassan is discriminated by everyone even his own family even the ones who Hassam didn’t even know was his family. Discrimination is so significant in his life that he has accepted the fact that he was born to be hated for his appearance. Hassan’s biological father Baba lies to Hassan and doesn’t even tell him that he is his real father. Despite the fact that Hassan gets discriminated upon, he still remains loyal and forgiving. Another example would be when the Taliban wanted Baba’s house and when they found out that Hassan and his wife were kuvubg u but alone, they wouldn’t listen to him when he tried to explain that Rahim Khan was the owner and they were waiting his return. The Taliban of course shot Hassan and his wife leaving Sohrab alone. The Taliban who show Hassan and his Wife were dismissed from their trial because they said it was self defence. They were dismissed because they have no proof that the Hazaras attacked the Taliban because no one would stand up for Hazaras. With this in mind, Hassan has died In addition, despite the fact that everyone knows that Hassan is good natured, he still is betrayed many times in the story mostly by his best friend Amir. In detail, Amir treats Hassan unfairly even thought he knows that Hassan will be good about it. For example, Amir left Hassan to get raped by Assef in the alley Hassan taught him incorrect meaning of words. Even after Amir betrays Amir, Hassan continues to serve him. and abandoning him even though Hassan saved him countless amounts of time. Amir only does this because When Assef asked Amir why he’s friends with a Hazara, Amir said that he’s his servant and nothing more. Amir didn’t know that Hassan was his half brother, which leads Amir to take advantage of Hassan. Rape is one of the events in the story that happens to Hassan that makes him suffer the most. In this story, rape is not just physically violent, but it is also an attack on the victim’s emotions and dignity. The fact that Hassan didn’t resist just proves his role in society and how he accepts punishment that is given upon him. The rape proves that he doesn’t care about his own suffering Lastly, Hassan suffers by losing the people who were once family to him. Hassan suffers because his half brother Amir is the reason why Hassan and Ali left the house. In fact, Hassan has it tougher than Amir from the beginning. Not only did he lose his mother, his mother rejected him at birth. Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Alis arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter. [ ]. She had refused to even hold Hassan, and just five days later she was gone. (29). This event has left Hassan motherless ever since birth. He is separated from his beloved Amir and Baba whom he spent his whole life with. Another example would be when his mother left and rejected him at birth.

Case Study Of Toyotas Vehicle Recall Management Essay

Case Study Of Toyotas Vehicle Recall Management Essay This study focuses on the risk of reputational damage from a crisis situation and uses the Toyota recall crisis as a case study. The study examines Toyotas actions as relates to preserving its reputation as more than 8 million of its motor vehicles are recalled from 2009-2010. In order to do this, Toyotas actions are benchmarked against critical risk factors identified in the Roads to Ruin report conducted by Cass Business School for Association of Insurance and Risk Managers in Industry and Commerce (AIRMIC). The findings from the case revealed that a serious breakdown in Toyotas culture and a violation of its clearly stated principles of quality and customer-focus were the root causes of its reputational decline. Upon closer examination of the Toyota case, we find that the Toyota crisis escalated majorly because the company seemed to have no plan whatsoever to prepare for a crisis of the magnitude it faced and hence failed to protect its reputation. The case goes on to highlight various risk management that can be incorporated by businesses, managers and CEOs to preserve their reputation in crisis situations and avoid common pitfalls that lead to reputational decline. Table of Figures Executive summary This paper explores the subject of corporate reputation and the risk a crisis situation poses to a companys reputation. The main objective of this study is to extract risk management lessons from a crisis situation that can be used by managers and CEOs to avoid reputational decline in similar circumstances. The paper is structured as a case study that focuses on Toyota Motor Corporation as it faced the greatest threat to its reputation the recall of its vehicles in 2009. It explores key factors that made Toyota vulnerable during the recall and explores the effects of the recall on Toyotas reputation. In order to determine the underlying risk factors that exacerbated the crisis, Toyota is benchmarked against critical risk factors identified in the Roads to Ruin report a research report on risk management by Cass Business School for AIRMIC. The report was chosen because it provides a rich source of lessons about risk, risk analysis and risk management by detailing over one hundred specific lessons about risk from different case studies of companies in reputation-damaging crisis situations. Upon closer examination of the details of the Toyota case, we find that Toyotas reputation was damaged because the company seemed to have no plan whatsoever to prepare for a crisis of the magnitude it faced and hence failed to protect its reputation. Amongst other reasons for Toyotas reputational decline were these factors: management were not communicating effectively with stakeholders during the crisis; decision making was centred in Japan where the company was head-quartered making the crisis response very slow. We also find that Toyota shelved its corporate values which made it a symbol for quality in its quest for growth. In order to understand the Toyota crisis, the paper starts off with a brief introduction of Toyota Motor Corporation, highlighting its businesses and its reputation before the recall crisis. A timeline of the recall is also included to provide an overview of the flow of events during the period under review. Literature on corporate reputation, its importance and ownership is reviewed in the second part of this study whilst chapter three sets out the methodology employed in this study. Chapter four and five represent the crux of this work examining Toyotas actions in more detail. The research work ends with important recommendations for managers for preserving reputation in a crisis situation. Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: Introduction Glass, China, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended. -Benjamin Franklin. A few years ago, if we talked about companies with good reputations, the Japanese carmaker Toyota might have been mentioned. 2008 in particular was a good year for Toyota; Toyota was arguably one of the top brands worldwide, scoring high points for reliability and product quality on various reputational studies. It was the 6th top brand in the world according to interbrands Top 100 brands in the world list and was highly reputed for its reliability, customer-focus, and world-class quality. By the 27th of February, 2009, Toyota had moved up to third place on the Worlds Most Admired list, behind only Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The company had the coveted AAA rating from Fitch and customers and car-enthusiasts alike had come to equate Toyota with quality. Even the companys philosophies, visions and advertising campaigns were unequivocal in stressing its commitment to quality However as Toyota recalled vehicle after vehicle in 2009, its pristine reputation for quality was badly damaged. Toyota literally drove into a reputational crisis like it had never seen before; the crisis was exceptionally damaging to the companys reputation as it struck its perceived core competence safety and quality. Company Background TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the automobile and financial business. The Company operates through three business divisions. The Automobile segment is engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of car products including passenger cars, minivans and trucks, as well as the related parts and accessories. The Finance segment is involved in the provision of financial services related to the sale of the Companys products, as well as the leasing of vehicles and equipment. The Others segment is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of housings, as well as information and communication business. For its automotive operations which is the focus of this study- Toyota produces and sells passenger cars, minivans and commercial vehicles, such as trucks. Toyotas vehicles can be classified into two categories: conventional engine vehicles and hybrid vehicles. Toyotas product line-up includes subcompact and compact cars, mini-vehicles, mid-size, luxury, sports and specialty cars, recreational sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks, minivans, trucks and buses. The Companys subcompact and compact cars include the four-door Corolla sedan and the Yaris. In North America, Europe and Japan, Toyotas luxury line-up consists primarily of vehicles and other luxury sport-utility vehicles sold under the Lexus brand name. Toyota sport-utility vehicles available in North America also include the Sequoia, the 4Runner, the RAV4, the Highlander, the FJ Cruiser and the Land Cruiser, and pickup trucks available are the Tacoma and Tundra. Toyota also sells the Century limousine in Japan. Toyotas product line-up includes trucks (including vans) up to a gross vehicle weight of five tons and micro-buses, which are sold in Japan and in overseas markets. Trucks and buses are also manufactured and sold by Hino, a subsidiary of Toyota. Hinos product line-up includes large trucks with a gross vehicle weight of over 11 tons, medium trucks with a gross vehicle weight of between five and 11 tons, and small trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to five tons. More than its cars, Toyota is well known for its TOYOTA WAY a set of principles and behaviours that underlie the Toyota Motor Corporations managerial approach and production system. These principles have been taught in various business schools and adapted in various organisations. The principles are summarised in the figure below: Figure : The Toyota way (Source: Hispage TONOway) 1.2 The Recall Crisis Toyotas recall fiasco took a disastrous turn on the 28th of August 2009 in San Diego, California. According to news reports, Mark Saylor and his wife, daughter and brother-in-law (Chris Lastrella) were killed when their Lexus, on loan from a dealer, careened out of control at more than 100mph, collided with another vehicle, and crashed into a ravine, setting the car ablaze. Figure : Inset is a picture of the vehicle after the accident (Source: PowayPatch) The familys high-speed tragedy was captured via a 911 call; the fear in the caller Chris Lastrellas voice was apparent as he said there are no brakesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we need to pray and finally, their high-pitched screams as the car crashed. Over the next six months following this incident, Toyota would issue three separate recalls related to vehicle speed control for over 8 million vehicles; costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and immeasurable reputational damage. As the crisis intensified, Toyota became the target of adverse media attention with criticisms coming from various stakeholders for its actions during this period, and for its delay in identifying the fault and recalling the affected vehicles. 1.3 Timeline This section provides a chronological flow of the events leading up to and surrounding the recall crisis 2000 A cost cutting exercise called Construction of Cost Competitiveness for the 21st Century is launched by Toyota with the aim of reducing the cost of 180 car parts by 30% and saving $10 billion by 2005. 31-12-04 Toyotas vehicles accounted for about 20% of all unintended acceleration complaints filed with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), up from 4 percent in 2000. 26-09-07 First floor mat recall in US of 55,000 vehicles to correct possible drivers floor mat causing accelerator pedal entrapment. 28-08-09 Off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor is traveling on Highway 125 in Santee, California (northeast of San Diego), with three family members, when the 2009 Lexus ES350 he is driving suddenly accelerates out of control, hits another car, tumbles down an embankment and catches fire. While the car is careening down the highway at speeds estimated to exceed 100 mph, his brother-in-law calls 911 and reports that the car has no brakes. All four are killed in the ensuing crash. 14-09-09 Preliminary reports from Toyota and local authorities indicate that the Lexus, which had been on loan from Bob Baker Lexus of San Diego, where Saylors personal Lexus vehicle was being serviced, may have had the wrong floor mats installed, interfering with the gas pedal. 29-09-09 Toyota announces it is recalling the floor mats on 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. 2-10-09 Newly installed Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda publically apologizes to the Saylor family members killed in the accident and to every customer affected by the recall. 30-10-09 Toyota begins sending letters to owners notifying them of an unspecified upcoming recall to fix the unintended acceleration issue. In the letters Toyota says no defect exists. 2-11-09 NHTSA takes the highly unusual step of publicly rebuking Toyota, calling a company press release re-iterating the statements made in the 30 October letter to owners inaccurate and misleading, noting that the floor mat recall was an interim measure and that it does not correct the underlying defect. Toyota publicly apologizes. 02-11-09 Second floor mat recall in US of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to correct possible drivers floor mat causing accelerator pedal entrapment. 25-11-09 Second recall of 3.8 million vehicles amended to additionally reconfigure accelerator pedal. 26-12-09 A Toyota Avalon crashes into a lake in Texas after accelerating out of control. All four occupants die. Floor mats are ruled out as a cause because they are found in the trunk of the car. 21-01-10 Toyota recalls another 2.3 million Toyota-brand vehicles because of a problem with the gas pedal. Toyota says a rare set of conditions which may cause the accelerator pedal to become harder to depress, slower to return or, in the worst case, stuck in a partially depressed position. The company says the new recall is unrelated to the floor mat recall, but also announces 1.7 million Toyota vehicles would be affected by both recalls. 26-Jan-10 Toyota stops selling eight models in the US after being sanctioned by the NHTSA to halt selling vehicles with acknowledged defects. Toyota does not say why it has waited five days to stop sales after announcing the recall. 29-Jan-10 Recall extended to 1.8 million Toyotas in Europe and China. 02-Feb-10 U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sharply criticizes Toyotas response to the accelerator pedal concerns, telling the Associated press that Toyota may be a little safety deaf and that while Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an enormous effort to get to this point. 09-Feb-10 Recall of 437,000 Prius vehicles and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to correct possible faulty hybrid anti-lock brake software 23-Feb-10 Public hearings of various committees of the U.S. House of Representative regarding the Toyota safety issue. At the hearing, Toyoda publicly apologizes before Congress and pledges renewed commitment to quality and safety from Toyota. 24-Feb-10 Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota, issues the following statement at the congressional hearing: Toyota has, for the past few years, been expanding its business rapidly. Quite frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick. I would like to point out here that Toyotas priority has traditionally been the following: First; Safety, Second; Quality, and Third; Volume. These priorities became confused, and we were not able to stop, think, and make improvements as much as we were able to before, and our basic stance to listen to customers voices to make better products has weakened somewhat. We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization, and we should sincerely be mindful of that. I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced. Especially, I would like to extend my condolences to the members of the Saylor family, for the accident in San Diego. I would like to send my prayers again, and I w ill do everything in my power to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. 1.4 Aims and Objectives The Toyota case study is an insightful one as it involves the review of management response in a crisis situation that involved major loss of lives and regulatory action. By focusing on Toyotas management response, the aim of this study is to provide useful recommendations for preserving corporate reputation in a crisis situation. The work will focus on Toyotas response, its crisis management and the effect of the crisis on the companys reputation. In so doing, the author aims to extract essential risk management lessons from the case. The objectives of this study are to: Trace the underlying cause of the crisis using the risk factors identified in the Roads to Ruin Report by Cass Business School for AIRMIC. Evaluate the impact of the incident on the ratings, profitability and reputation of the company. Evaluate the actions of the CEO, highlighting what he did well and what he did not do so well. Outline the main consequences of the crisis for shareholders and other stakeholders Outline the key risk management lessons to be learnt. Every reputational crisis is different and there is no panacea for a reputational crisis but this research work seeks to provide a valuable tool for protecting and managing reputational risk when a crisis occurs. In order to fulfil the objectives listed above, the following research questions will be answered: What made Toyota particularly vulnerable during the recall crisis? How did the recall crisis and its ensuing consequences affect the financial position and reputation of the company? How was the recall handled? How could it have been better handled? What lessons can be learnt such that a future crisis is managed better? What was the impact of failing to meet its stakeholders expectations on Toyotas reputation? CHAPTER 2: Literature Review O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, An foolish notion Robert Burns Every individual, every company, every organisation be it a large multi-national or a small food kiosk by the corner- have one thing in common; a reputation. Over time, every contact, every media mention, every rumour, every leak, every piece of gossip (whether true or not) will play its part in forming an overall impression of an organisations standing. This built up reputation not only has a significant impact on share price; but also influences the strength of the brand and determines its competitive advantage amongst its peers. As Bill Margaritis puts it: a strong corporate reputation is a life preserver in a crisis and a tailwind when you have an opportunity 2.1 Corporate Reputation: An Overview In recent years, the idea of reputation as a strong business asset has received increased recognition in management literature. Series of publications have appeared dealing with the benefits of positive corporate reputations, risks to reputation, and reputational risk management. This increased interest grew out of a realization that an organizations reputation is a major determinant for its short run and long run success and differential advantage in any business environment. Furthermore, the last decade has seen many of the worlds most admired companies descend from their once lofty positions. In light of all these, it is not a surprise that corporate reputation has started to feature prominently on Swiss Res and Aons study of the top ten risks identified by corporate executives. This emphasises the point that management and other stakeholders have started to see the importance of corporate reputation and the various factors that make up the reputation of their firm. Fomburn (1996) defines reputation as the overall estimation in which a company is held by its constituents which can be formed based on the net perception of a companys ability to meet the expectation of all its stakeholders. This perception will usually be based on both the organisations actions and inactions such that everything an organisation does, and does not do, has a direct impact on their reputation Dolphin (2004). Other authors, such as Bromley (2001) emphasize the differing nature of reputation and describe reputation as the distribution of opinions about a person or organisation A more balanced view of corporate reputation according to (Warwick, 1992) is the view that corporate reputation is in itself an aggregate evaluation made by stakeholders of how well a company is meeting stakeholders expectations based on its past behaviour. (Atkins, et al., 2006), also address corporate reputation and reputational risk from this perspective and define reputational risk as the threat to a companys reputation resulting from a failure to meet stakeholders reasonable expectations of an organisations performance or behaviour. Corporate reputation should (also) be considered in terms of its historical context, i.e. a corporations track record. A companys standing in the community and in the marketplace all help shape its reputation Fomburn (1996). A reputation is much more than brand image, and includes factors such as trust in the organisations integrity and how it will conduct itself in the future, both at the corporate level and through the actions of its management and staff. . (Atkins, et al., 2006). It is also an important form of corporate capital that determines to a large extent the companys worth, quite simply, it is an index of a companys worth or value (Bromley, 2000). In determining corporate value, most authors have come to agree that a reputation is an indicator of a companys future performance. A favourable reputation is powerful enough to convince the undecided to choose a certain product or service and dissuade existing customers from moving to a competitor; whereas a damaged reputation can be irreparable and in extreme cases, lead to a companys down fall (ORourke, 2004). In order to build a favourable reputation, four attributes need to be developed: credibility, trustworthiness, reliability and responsibili ty. Reputation is in itself intangible, untouchable and most times immeasurable. Reputation often cant be quantified, compared against hard benchmarks or analysed in the same way as financial or other numerical data. Its management requires softer skills such as sound judgement, an ability to anticipate future trends and requirements, understand stakeholder concerns, listen carefully, consider dispassionately and respond constructively. (Rayner, 2003). A good corporate reputation can take many long years to build; it can be destroyed in an instant through an ill-considered off-the-record remark, a lapse in personal behaviour, an ethical blunder in the supply chain or an inadequate response to a crisis. In the words of Warren Buffet who is considered the most successful investor of the 20th century it takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to destroy it. An area where authors share different views is as regards ownership of reputational risk. The first school of thought argues that one person or a group of people be appointed with the sole responsibility of preserving the companys reputation. It is probably due to the inefficiencies of some CEOs over the years in safeguarding reputation that some authors argue that a reputation officer or a reputation department be charged with the responsibility of handling and sustaining the corporate reputation. Others have criticised this view for various reasons, the main one been that, appointing a chief reputational office tends to remove the awareness of the importance of safeguarding corporate reputation from the Board of Directors and other top executives. Another school of thought is the one which states that every member of the organisation is responsible/accountable for the corporate reputation. As good as this argument might sound (it does make some sense for everyone in the organisation to be aware of maintaining the organisations good name), the loophole is in the danger that this leaves the accountability for corporate reputation as everyones task which in most times equals no ones task. The third school of thought argues that the responsibility for corporate reputation should rest on the CEO. According to this school, various studies have shown that CEOs understand the importance of a good reputation and hence should safeguard it. However, studies have also shown that few CEOs put any structure in place to safeguard the reputational asset of the organisation. It is disappointing to note that many CEOs who are supposed to be the custodians of the companys reputation have actually been the villains responsible for tarnishing the companys reputation. (This was certainly the case with AIGs Hank Greenberg). One important reason why CEOs should be responsible for reputational risk rests on the fact that when people think of a company, they are usually thinking of the CEO, with his actions/inactions invariably contributing to the reputation of the organisation. As Dr Leslie Gaines-Row pointed out in an interview, failure to maintain a good reputation should rest squarely on the shoulders of the CEO because in her own words: CEOs increasingly find themselves in the spotlight during crises and are without question a strategic player in reputation recovery. Their success in managing reputational difficulties is one of the determining factors in whether stakeholders retain confidence in the company and believe that reputation will eventually be restored. For this reason, failure to maintain a good reputation rests squarely on the CEOs shoulders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Studies show) that nearly 60 percent of the blame is attributed to the CEO when crisis strikes. As the companys public face during times of crisis, and the companys chief reputation officer, the CEO should remain visible, and communicate honestly, transparently and proactively. CEOs must also present themselves to stakeholders, whether it is customers, financial analysts or employees, consistently with the companys vision, code of conduct and values. By taking responsibility, acting quickly and compassionately, listening carefully, and establishing clear priorities, the CEO can set an example for reputation recovery for the entire organization. Reputation is the most important asset entrusted to a CEO (Schreiber, 2011). Not all CEOs recognize that, but a growing number do. In a 2009 global study, AON Insurance asked 551 CEOs to rank the relative importance of 31 risk factors. Reputation was ranked No. 6. In past AON studies before the current financial crisis, reputation was the top-ranked CEO risk factor. But, what is troubling is that two-thirds of the respondents had no formal reputation risk plan in place, and that figure has not changed substantially. 2.2 Effects of a Favourable Corporate Reputation Strong reputations act as cushions in case of a crisis and have the ability to protect a company from harm caused by a crisis. A favourable prior reputation protects the organisations reputation during a crisis in two aspects: it gives the organisation the benefit of doubt, which means that if a consumer holds a general favourable view of the company, the consumer might assign the company less crisis responsibility which in turn result in less reputational damage from the crisis; secondly, it acts as a shield, which serves as a part of the larger psychological phenomenon of expectancy confirmation, emphasizing that stakeholders will focus on the positive aspects of the organisation and ignore the recent negative information created by the crisis (Coombs and Holladay). In these ways, a good prior reputation perceived by consumers has the potential to reduce attributed crisis responsibility and dismiss the impact of the crisis. Strong, trustworthy reputations will usually always mean g reater resilience in crisis situations. The occasional lapse of a reputationally strong company is likely to be regarded as a one-off aberration, because it has a solid track record and its values and business ethos are clearly understood the reaction will most probably be a shrug and a thats not like them rather than a there they go again (Rayner, 2003). A typical case is that of oil companies who were ranked rather low in public opinion. In cases where oil companies have faced major crisis, consumers have been less sympathetic with these corporate group. The BP case and the Exxon Vladez case are typical examples. A study in the late 1990s of the performance of US companies during the 1987 stock market crash found out that the shares of the ten most admired companies dropped less and recovered faster, while the shares of the ten least admired companies plunged three times as far a very strong indication that having a good corporate reputation can pay real dividends. Various authors have identified several benefits of a good corporate reputation: (Atkins, et al., 2006) state that a good reputation is highly valuable and can benefit a company enormously. Potentially, it can result in: Banks being willing to supply loans on more favourable rates and terms: Good employees being attracted to work for the organisation, and their services being retained Investors being more likely to place their capital in the firm; Improvement in sales Maintenance and enhancement of market share Public perception of the organisation as an asset to the society in which it operates (John Croft, 2003), identify similar benefits: Securing profits and future cash flows Attracting new business partners Securing investment Attracting new customers word-of-mouth In ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uencing political and legal affairs Human capital: retaining good staff and attracting the best employees Allowing easier entry to new markets and brand extensions Enabling successful mergers and acquisitions Helping to reinforce relationships with suppliers and distributors and other direct stakeholders Enhancing relationships with NGOs or corporate activists that potentially could be aligned against you 2.3 Area of Further Research One area of interest for future research work identified while carrying out this research work is on handling reputation risks from social networking sites and other online media sources the so called web 2.0. Web 2.0 allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue and the mediums include social media sites like Facebook, blogs, twitter and other mediums which allow people to freely air their opinions. This area is important because in recent times, a lot of companies have had their reputation damaged through web 2.0 mediums. What makes web 2.0 dangerous is that response time is very limited; the most time an organisation has to squelch rumours or avoid a reputational disaster is 24 hours. It would be immensely helpful if further research is done into helping companies and various organisations cope with the risks from these mediums. CHAPTER 3: Data Collection and Research Methodology 3.1 Data Collection Data has been collected from a wide range of secondary sources; newspaper articles, academic journals and online resources. This study was also based on documents from five categories of media: (i) print newspapers, (ii) online editions of print newspapers, (iii) the Associated Press newswire, (iv) Blogs, and (v) Internet forums. 3.2 Methodology The research is tailored as a case study. This method gives a multi-perspective approach, incorporating the views of direct stakeholders, indirect stakeholders and the interactions between these two groups. This case study will be based mainly on secondary data. The paper will comprise the collection of secondary data from a broad variety of sources such as business academic journals, books, reports, newspapers and internet articles on the Toyota vehicle recall crisis. All information will be taken from the public domain and the author has put into consideration the possibility of errors in press reports and other sources. The research will use various underlying risk classifications identified in the Roads to Ruin report by Cass Business School for AIRMIC to trace the underlying cause of the crisis. The Roads to Ruin report is a highly valuable guide for this research as it investigates the origins and impacts of over twenty major corporate crises of the last decade. The report was chosen because it provides a rich source of lessons about risk, risk analysis and risk management detailing over one hundred specific lessons about risk. This will be particularly helpful as I develop my recommendations on this subject. A crisis communication framework developed by (Lukaszewski, January/February 1999) would also be used to analyse Toyotas crisis response. CHAPTER 4 Review of the Recall Crisis In this chapter, the author shall in line with the research objectives, test the effectiveness of Toyotas reputational risk response to seven key risk areas identified in the Roads to Ruin report and in so doing trace the deeper cause of the crisis. According to the report, these key risks areas include: Board skill and Non-Executive Directors (NED) control risks -risks ar

Got Sanity? :: Creative Writing Essays

Got Sanity? It was a quiet night. No cars driving by, honking their horns. No sounds of little kids yelling. No dogs barking. Just peaceful and quiet. A gentle breeze blew with an occasional smell of spring in it. The air was just right, cool and fresh. Keith sat on his favorite porch rocking chair. He was just relaxing and gathering his thoughts. He liked to think. He liked to think. He thought about his dreams, he thought about his life and how it was going. He thought about his dog and how it used to be a playful puppy full of energy. It sure grew up fast. Keith thought about a girl he once fell in love with. He should probably get married before he turned thirty. Who knows maybe he'll never get married. As Keith sat there, now thinking about his new, red truck, he noticed his shoe was untied. He stretched down to retie it and saw a small card beside his foot. Funny, he hadn't noticed it there before. Maybe it blew up in the breeze. Yes that's what happened, the wind had blown it there when he was off in dreamland. Oh well, he thought and then he picked it up. The card had printing on it. It simply read, "go look in your mail box". Keith gave out a small chuckle and thought about his mailbox. Was someone joking around with him? It was probably that pesky neighbor boy, James. He was always coming up with something new and unusual to try out on his neighbors. "What the hell", Keith said aloud. He then stood up and walked over to his mailbox and opened it up. "Yep, another card", he said. The same small, black print on it too. Except this card said something just a little different. As Keith ran to his back yard where his dog house was, all he could think of was what the card had said in his mailbox. "YOUR dog is DEAD". Keith suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He could see blood. The dog house, which he had just painted a nice fresh coat of white, was now covered with red, blotchy stains. Blood everywhere. Who could have done such a deed? The golden retriever that Keith had loved so much and raised for four years now lay dead. There was hardly anything left of it. Its legs had been ripped completely off and were thrown around the yard. Its head was nailed to the front of the dog house. The body of his favorite and only pet was cut wide open and staked to the

The Scope of Woolf’s Feminism in A Room of One’s Own Essay -- Woolf A

The Scope of Woolf’s Feminism in A Room of One’s Own Missing Works Cited A highly contested statement on women and fiction, Virginia Woolf’s extended essay A Room of One’s Own has been repeatedly reviewed, critiqued, and analyzed since its publication in 1929. Arnold Bennett, an early twentieth-century novelist, and David Daiches, a literary critic who wrote an analysis entitled Virginia Woolf in 1942 (Murphy 247), were among those to attempt to extricate the themes and implications of Woolf’s complex essay. The two critics deal with the often-discussed feminist aspect of Woolf’s essay in interestingly different ways. Bennett states that Woolf’s essay is not a feminist work, rejects the idea that Woolf’s discussion of women and fiction may lean towards the political, and reduces the essay’s scope to a collection of musings on women and fiction. Daiches responds to A Room of One’s Own in the opposite way: he claims that Woolf’s work is feminist, and Woolf’s feminism emphasizes not only women and their relationship to fiction, but all people of genius who have not had an opportunity to use it because of their lack of money and privacy. While Bennett restricts the scope of the essay to a non- feminist, completely apolitical ideology and Daiches enlarges the scope to a wide, universal feminism, Woolf’s own intention in writing A Room of One’s Own may have actually been to create a work that lay somewhere in between these two extremes. In one of the earliest reviews of A Room of One’s Own, British novelist Arnold Bennett addressed the question of feminism in the essay and concluded that Woolf was not writing from a feminist perspective. â€Å"It is a book a little about men and a great deal about women. But it is no... ...ments do point out important limits on Woolf’s feminism. As Arnold Bennett says, Woolf’s concerns are not political; although our modern definition of feminism is wider than Bennett’s was, Woolf’s lack of political interest does certainly limit the scope of her feminism. David Daiches’s critique of the essay points out another important characteristic of Woolf’s feminist thought. Her feminism is not, as Daiches believes based in a â€Å"larger democratic feeling.† Woolf’s feminism is in actuality quite limited in tha t she only applies it to British, upper middleclass women writers. Virginia Woolf’s essay-which to Bennett seemed non- feminist and to Daiches seemed feminist- universalist-is, by our modern definition, feminist; however, the borders of culture, class, and profession that composed her frame of reference drastically limit the scope of Woolf’s feminism.

Why Be Adolescent :: essays research papers

Why be Adolescent? I believe that I have caught on to the biggest scam in the history of the world. No I'm not talking about long distance phone companies, or CD clubs, or even public school. I'm talking about adolescence. Adolescence is the stage between 13, and the early adult, and late teen years. Adolescence is only found in 1st world countries that are descending from England in some way. The reason for that, I believe, is that a long time ago before the existence of America, Canada, or Australia, European countries were thought to be the most advanced, and proper. In almost all aspects of life there, things were ranked in a hierarchy system. They ranked their government system to have different levels of importance; their social status was ranked, church system, police, and finally age. The age hierarchy was not very complex. If you were older than somebody, than of course you were that much closer than the top, unless they had a higher general social status than you. With the branching of Europe, the European ways would follow. Observe the affect adolescence has on North America. Children are treated with extra care until about 13 or 14. Then the stage of adolescence starts. You are given responsibility. Nothing big, but just things like chores, and more time out. The intention of these is good, but it is all part of the plan to make the child ready to be an adult when they're 18. In many cases the child is not used to the responsibility until well after 18, because the change is so dramatic. This could be one the reasons that we have so many young criminals, ages 13-25. In many Asian, and African countries, which are not completely influenced by European culture, adolescence simply does not exist. They are not so worried about spanning the time of giving responsibility, but actually give it a little too soon if anything at all. A lot of the people in these countries don't have a lot of money, so they need the help from their offspring as soon as they can get it. In the extreme, a 14-year-old boy could be working to support his family with a jog for 1.25 an hour with a large American sports clothing line. This can't be good no matter how you look at it, but on the other hand, a boy who learns responsibility at the age of 13, by working for a relative or neighbor, doing physical labor can be very beneficial. The boy is not overwhelmed with the weight of his family's well being on his

Linkage Of Art History And Information Technology Essay

Art History at first glance has nothing in connection to Information Technology and so Information Technology has no link in the discipline of history art. I, myself, had not thought that these two entirely different academic discipline have something in common to share even they are quite different from each other. I will begin this paper by giving definitions of these two fields of study. Art history refers to the academic discipline covering the study of history, visual arts, which is study the development of painting, and sculpture arts, humanistic discipline, humanities and liberal arts which are studies to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills. Categorizing changes in art through time and better understand how art shapes is what art history endeavors. In addition, art history also covers the outlooks and creative impulses of the artists. It covers all kind of arts that is extending from the megaliths of Western Europe that the best example of which is the Stonehenge in Britain to the paintings of the Tang dynasty in China. On the other hand, although information technology is hard to define because it is a wide based term and encompasses many areas and I have read many definitions of it, I chose the Information Technology Association of America’s or ITAA’s definition in which they defined information technology as the study, design, development, implementation support and management of any computer based information systems. Visual arts, as I mentioned in the definition of art history above, is covered by the discipline of art history. In connection, visual arts, which language is visual, helps develop the skills and knowledge of people to interpret visual arts using visual languages. The importance of said skill and knowledge that are developed by taking the academic discipline of art history is that you have the ability to dig out meaning from visual environment thus in return coincides with the skill you have learned in information technology. This may sounds illogical but if you think deeper, you will say it is indeed reasonable to claim that there is a linkage between art history and information technology. Just for example are works of architects, film editors, and insurance assessors. In everyday of their lives, they are using their knowledge and skills in information technology and therefore, the skills in extracting meaning from visual environment will surely come to the rescue to help them to be successful on what they are doing. Thus, I reiterate once again that art history has a connection to information technology because both   mentioned skills above, which are skill in using computer database and skill in extracting meaning from visual environment, are both needed in the realm of those jobs. These kinds of job require skill in the scrutiny of visual data, and to build connections and depict incongruent elements together to make a coherent whole. Because art history is actually about engaging people’s imagination, communicating ideas and bringing out emotions and feelings by means of carefully arranged visual cues, it aids information technology in some sense like what I have mentioned above about the aid art history gives in the realm of works of the architects and many others. Other good examples of this are the people who work in advertising agencies, theater, fashion and all other areas of design. These people are in need to fully comprehend and appreciate the manipulation of visual information. Thus, given those examples, studying art history indeed helps broaden and developed a person’s natural ability to create and communicate meaning from almost any visual environment.   Tackling on the other aspects, because art history studies the so-called ‘work of art’ and its other aspects, it is important to note that these works of arts can contain many themes or any themes which can be about many thing or any thing under the sun, and technology is not an exemption for that. There are many people, nowadays, that choose jobs in which they can be called programmers, systems analysts, network service providers, webmasters, information industry moguls and directors of academic computing because this age demands us so. It is true to consider that information and computer literacy, are priceless technical skills but it is also important to bear in our minds that information literacy is a new liberal art. The coverage of knowing how to use the computers and access information to critical reflection of nature of information itself and, its technical infrastructure is also covered by the information literacy and technology. Social, philosophical and even cultural context to the mental framework of educated information-age citizen as the trivium of basic liberal arts, such as grammar, logic and rhetoric, are also essential and are parts of information literacy and technology. Also, it was hoped, because of the facts that not all information can be found in internet, one should know something about its major cultural landmarks. It is also important to consider that one should know the literary monuments of secular, humanistic culture from Shakespeare through his modern novel. All in all, history arts and information technology though they are two different fields of study have a good linkage in one another to further help building the triumph of mankind in acquiring knowledge and skills. References Definition of Information Technology. Ezine Articles. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ezinearticles.com/?Definition-of-Information-Technology&id=1109986 Department of Art History, Sweet Briar College.1998 February 8.What is Art†¦?†¦What is An Artist?. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/artartists/artartists.html De Sousa, Mike. The Column. The Purpose of Art. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ablestable.com/resources/library/thecolumn/2005/027.htm Graduate Careers. Art History.Retrieved July 23, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/content/view/full/183 Malibu Arts Journal. Art: An Elusive Term. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.malibuartsjournal.com/art/art.html Shapiro, Jeremy J. and Hughes,Shelley K. Hughes (1996). Information Literacy as a Liberal Art. Educom Review Volume 31, Number 2. Retrieved July 23, 2008, from http://net.educause.edu/apps/er/review/reviewArticles/31231.html

Reading Response to the Maltese Falcon

Spade and Archer accepted the job apparently because they felt the pay was good and that they could earn more if hey executed the job properly. However, event that unfolded immediately afterwards made it obvious that detective Spade had gotten himself into a serious criminal case. First was the death of his partner Miles Archer, then the allegation by Lieutenant Dandy and Tom Populous that Spade is a prime suspect in the murder of his partner.In his bald to find out what happened to his partner and to clear himself of allegations of murder. Detective Spade finds out the truth about Miss Wondered whose actual name was Brigit Gaucheness's and her connection to Floyd Thirsty who was not inning away with Bride's sister, but was her acquaintance who had betrayed her and perhaps had in his possession a prized Object -the Maltese Falcon. Eventually, Spade is able to obtain the Maltese Falcon and why it was so important.Also, Spade is able to discover the reasons for which his partner was mu rdered, as well as the party responsible for the murder crime which turned out to be Burgled Gaucheness's. The Maltese Falcon turned out to be and interesting read for me, the direct style and the fact that it was not too lengthy made it a bit easy to finish it within a short time. I discovered that Dashiest Hamlet himself was once worked as an operative for the famed Pinker National Detective Agency (Marling, n. D. ). This could explain his In passion for hard-boiled detective Fulton novels.There are several reasons why I find the Maltese Falcon an interesting novel, from the plot to the fundamental theme of greed and the characterization as well as the inclusion of the well rooted stereotypical classification of women as expected in a detective fiction novel or film. Starting with the plot, the Maltese Falcon as a hard-boiled detective fiction does not spotting In the expected fast paced setting. From the point when Miss Wondered walks Into Spade and Archer's office, It was a puls ating encounter for Spade hopping getting entangled in a complicated situation.Personally, I found it a bit difficult to drop the book as I wanted to get to the end of it as quickly as possible. In this regard, I think the novel could have used a little more suspense as it was somewhat straight forward with less ambiguity. Asides from this tiny complaint from me, it was a novel I enjoyed reading. Also, I personally feel the way and manner Hamlet throws introduces readers to the characters makes it easy to connect these characters with their actions. From the opening description of Samuel Spade, one could easily anticipate the kind of character he will be. He looked rather pleasantly like a blond Satan. â€Å"(Hamlet, 1929 up. 1) This description in my view depicts Spade as a someone possesses shrewdness and will normally put self-interest first when dealing with others. A stand out character foe me is the character of Brigit Gaucheness's, for her manipulative, femme fatal nature. T his is a major stereotypical characterization of omen in most detective fiction novel and it is still very much evident in today's novel and films.Her character portrays that of a woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her aim and will use what she considers her most potent weapon (her beauty) to get other to do or give her what she wants. The character of Sam Spade the protagonist of the novel, clearly depicts someone that is greedy and places self-interest and monetary gains over every other thing. When approached by Miss Wondered to help solve a problem, Spade despite knowing the client was lying accepted the task because of the financial gain he stands to gain. He made this clear when he stated â€Å"We didn't exactly believe your story.

Analysing The Giver by Lois lowry and Anthem by Ayn Rand Essay

Abstract This investigation outlines the fine line between utopias and dystopias. It assesses the topic of when and how the shift from a utopia to a dystopia can occur, analyzing the characteristics that make up a utopia and a dystopia. This investigation will examine two utopian/dystopian narratives. In both books, we will see characteristics of a dystopia, and be further exposed to two different lives under a â€Å"utopian† community. We will examine The Giver by Lois Lowry and Anthem by Ayn Rand. The books will be evaluated for their setting, protagonist, governing group, and how they expose the themes of erasing identity and individuality, therefore, answering the question of â€Å"to what extent do the actions of utopian societies in their attempt to create a perfect world rather create a dystopia?† Many characters in the narrative may not see the imperfections of the society. The protagonist is outlined by his/her ability to recognize the imperfection of the utopia, highli ghting the faults in his/her community. This is where we see the shift from a utopia to a dystopia. When we see the faults of this â€Å"perfect’ world, we realize that the world presented to us in the novel is an imperfect and vile world, also known as a dystopia. Introduction The world utopia is based on two contrasting latin roots â€Å"ou-topos† meaning no place, or â€Å"eu-topos† meaning good place (Ferns 2). Either definition of utopia can apply to the works that are considered utopian literature. Looking at the first definition of utopia, meaning â€Å"no place†, we can analyze that in utopian literature, there is no obvious setting or timeline of when the story is taking place (Spencer). Utopias seem to exist in past time when the world was seen as perfect by many optimists. Utopian communities are often isolated from the rest of the world, and everyone in the community is committed to the lifestyle and is controlled by a governing group (Spencer). Furthermore, utopias are fictional locations that only exist in the minds of their creators. On the other hand, the other definition of utopia challenges that idea. The other definition, defines utopias as â€Å"a good place†. That can be seen in many works, where the community is perfect because it is under a controlled environment. In such books, as stated before, the community is controlled by a hierarchy of people, a government to maintain the peace and equality. They control every aspect of the community, from the living conditions to the lifestyle of its citizens (Ferns 2). The council instills fear into the heart of their citizens, to make them obey what is said by the council. They grow dependent on the council, and never think to disobey the laws because they think they can not survive without the aid of the council. In addition to controlling the aspects of life in the community, the council tries to control the feelings and reactions of the citizens. By erasing the idea of uniqueness and identity from the citizens, they continue to make them dependent upon the system. In such utopian communities, the members are not allowed to choose their spouses, professions, or children, therefore, eliminatin g the prominent characteristics of individuality (Matteo). In some works of utopian literature, the word â€Å"I† is not included in the text; instead, it is replaced by the word â€Å"we†, when someone is referring to themselves. Eliminating the choice of identifying yourself as a unique person decreases the sense of power given to the people. Under the controlled environment, the utopia suits the definition quite thoroughly. However, once the protagonist realizes and demands his/her rights, is when we see a major transition in the theme occurring in utopian literature, producing a shift from a utopia to a dystopia. A dystopia is defined as an imperfect and troublesome imaginary place. Similarly found in most utopian literature, at  the beginning of the novel, we perceive the world as both perfect and good. We continue to think this way until we realize the faults of the community and understand the idea that often all utopias are dystopias, granted that the reader and the protagonist are ignorant to the fact. We soon compre hend the characteristics that outline a dystopian society. These include controlling every aspect of life, eliminating Individuality and identity, and being secluded from the outside world, all of which are major characteristics of a dystopian society. Protagonist in Dystopias Dystopias can be identified by the protagonist through his/her actions in the story. In a dystopia, usually we view the environment from an aspect of only one of the members of the community. At the beginning of the book, the author fools the readers into thinking that the community is normal, as that of an ordinary person’s life. However, as the reader continues on, they are interrupted by the sudden implication of abnormal aspects of the protagonist characters. These examples can exert from their family, job, feeling, and events in their everyday life. Dystopias often mention the restriction that are forced upon the protagonist, and how he/she rejects them (Spencer). The author finds a way to hint how strong the control of the governing council is forced upon the members of the community. The protagonists of the story are always characteristized as different from the rest, and therefore they view their community differently (Spencer). Frequently seen in utopian literature, the protagonist is given a unique ability that distinguishes him/her from the rest of the members. That ability can vary from the ability to see, hear, taste, or feel differently, causing them to appear intellectually superior to the citizens of the community (Ferns 30). Anything that gives the protagonist something special in personality is considered bad in the community, and is discouraged. In most works, the protagonists are given those ability to increase their sense of individuality, causing them to revolt against their community. We find that the protagonist is unsure of his/her feeling toward the governing system, which is affected by the people around him/her. Commonly in utopian literature, the protagonist comes in contact with characters who are completely under the control of the governing system, and also those who go  against the council for their personal needs. That causes the protagonist to begin to question his/her society, which is a major theme between all dystopian works (Spencers). In addition, in most works of dystopian literature, usually the protagonist decides that the community is restricting him/her of something he/she wants to accomplish. The protagonist might perceive the community’s control as normal, yet when he/she finds something so meaningful to them that is discouraged by the community, they respond by revolting and leaving the community. Standing up and revolting against the system is something that needs much strength and bravery, which is what is showcased by the protagonist. The Giver by Lois Lowry One well known example of a dystopian novel is The Giver by Lois lowry. In the book we are introduced to the main character Jonas and his behavior with his family. At first he seems to live a normal life. However, when he describes how his family came together was when he noticed that abnormalities began to appear. Lowry writes, â€Å"Two children–one male, one female–to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules† (Lowry 14). Jonas describes how his parents were picked to marry by the House of Elder (governing party), and how his sister and he were given to them. In other words, in his community people have no choice in who they marry or who their children will be. From choosing a spouse, to having children, and other factors such as career choice, all were decided by the House of Elders. We perceive Jonas as the protagonist because it is apparent that he differs from his community. Lowry highlights his difference using his eyes as a symbol of significance and disorder. We are told that Jonas’ eyes are different in how they perceive things, and how he is the only one that can see different colors. Lowry refers to the subject in a reflection by Jonas: â€Å"Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of his group members and friends. But there were a few exceptions: Jonas himself, and a female Five who he had noticed had the different, lighter eyes† (Lowry 25). This reflection was Jonas’s explanation of his eyes, after his sister pointed out how his eyes differed from the  rest of the family. We see that Jonas has special characteristic of a dystopian protagonist. He stands different from the rest and, therefore, conflict is created because he realizes his individuality. We then go through Jonas’s twelfth ceremony, in which he is given the job of the receiver of memory. He must go to an old man known as the â€Å"Giver† and receive the memories of the community. These memories range from snowstorms, to wars fought, to simple happy moments. Some were very comforting, while others haunted Jonas. The story then drifts to a scene where a little baby that his father is taking care of named Gabriel. He was an ill child, but Jonas’s father could not bare to euthanize him. He took care of him, and Jonas helped by giving him sweet memories to make him fall asleep. Lowry writes, â€Å"After Gabe had slept soundly in Jonas’s room for four nights, his parents had pronounced the experiment a success and Jonas a hero† (Lowry 131). Seeing his effect of being able to comfort Gabriel, Jonas starts to think that the people of his community should see these memories. However, the House of Elders discouraged the idea it due to the fact that it might frighten some people. In order to release the memories, Jonas would have to pass away or leave the community. In an attempt to revolt against the House of Elders, Jonas and the â€Å"Giver† planned a scheme for Jonas to runaways and leave the community, therefore releasing all the memories to the public. Unfortunately, their plans get interpreted as Jonas fled the community early, trying to help save Gabriel. Gabriel was sent to be euthanized the next day, in attempt to please the â€Å"Giver† and save Gabriel, Jonas fled. They leave the community and begin to experience the memories transferred to Jonas, hoping to live a normal life with a different community. Anthem by Ayn Rand A well known canonical dystopian novel is Ayn Rand’s famous book Anthem. In the book we are first introduced to Equality 7-2521 as he writes about his life in his community. It appears to be a perfect utopia. Each person is not given a name, but instead a faction that accommodates a word representing peace and equality, and a number.The citizens are not encouraged to be individuals but instead one whole community. We are introduced to the vows of the World Council said by the people everyday, â€Å" We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, one, indivisible and  forever† (Rand 19). The book begins by Equality 7-2521 referencing to himself as â€Å" We equality 7-2521†, he talks about being scared, because he is in the tunnel alone; in his community, citizens are not allowed to be alone. They are encouraged to always be in a group of people. By the small hints, we see that individuality and having your own identity is something th at is not encouraged. As we get to know Equality 7-2521 more, we realize that he is curious and very intelligent- two things that are not encouraged as well. At the beginning of the book the teacher, shames him for being too smart and too tall. Ayn Rand writes, â€Å"It is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them. The teacher told us so, and they frowned when they looked upon us† (Rand 21). He is taught that being different is bad. He sees his intelligences as a curse, until he realizes the value of his individuality. After working alone for so long, he discovers electricity and circuits his own light bulb. All this is done in secret because he was assigned the job of street sweeper. It would be a crime to think and do something that was not his job; it is also a crime to be alone. He keeps the bulb quiet for many days but finally decides that the House of Scholars would love the invention so much they would not punish him for breaking the law. He waits unti l the right day and shows his invention to them. They become angry, threaten to kill him and demolish his invention. Rand describes their outrage, â€Å"‘A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all the rules and all the laws!’† (Rand 69). The World Council is outraged that someone who was given a job so low in status, can create something that scholar could not think of yet. That special ability of intelligence that Equality 7-2521 has, breaks the set up of the system (i.e. that everyone is only capable of the job given to them by the council). Excelling past a person’s determined status encourages others to do the same, creating rebellions. Equality 7-2521 decides that its not worth it to confront the council, but rather easier to flee the community with his invention into the uncharted forest. After many days alone he is happy to see the face of a girl that he loved. Another rule he broke was talking to a peasant girl named Liberty 5-3000, yet he renames her The Golden One. Even though this is considered a sin, Equality 7-2521 gave her a name because he loved her. Rand writes â€Å" We have given them a name in our thoughts. We call  them The Golden One. But it is a sin to give men names which distinguish them from other men† (Rand 41). The two of them fall in love, and after Equality 7-2521 leaves, Liberty 5-3000 chooses to follow him into the uncharted forest. After leaving the community, they once thought was perfect, they start to experience new adventures they did not know existed. For the first time, they see their own reflection, live together, read books, and most importantly they start use of the word â€Å"I†. Settings in Dystopias In both novels, we can see characteristics of setting in dystopian literature. Firstly, in both novels the setting is not identified. In The Giver, Jonas speaks about the different house that are in his community, but he never reveals exactly where they are. He does not mention what is beyond his community and only let us know that there are other communities based on a conversation. In the beginning of the book, we are introduced to his sister Lily who speaks of how she is angry because another kid from a different community was not following the rule at her school. Lily reflects, â€Å"I guess I wasn’t paying attention. It was from another community. They had to leave very early, and they had their midday meal on the bus.† (Lowry 11). In a way, Lowry is setting the scene of his home. She reveals that there are other communities around, yet we never get to know if the community is a country, state or even a village. Similarly, in the book Anthem, the setting is not identified. Equality 7-2521 talks about having his community and an uncharted forest, yet he never identifies the exact location. He reflects on what is beyond the pale of his community, â€Å" Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which men must not think† (Rand 30). Equality 7-2521 knows that there is something beyond his home, yet he is not permitted to question or explore it. Therefore, we perceive that the story occurred a long time ago, in an unknown place, and the world has developed since then. However, in both novels the exact setting is not fully known, a clear characteristic of dystopian narratives. Revolting Protagonists In addition to the unknown settings, both books have a revolting  protagonists. We see it when the protagonist is influenced by someone who secretly goes against the council, or to protect someone that they love dearly, or because they are different than the rest of the community in some way. In The Giver, Jonas demonstrates all of these influences to leave the community. After becoming close to the â€Å"Giver†, he learns about the last receiver in the community and her story. He is influenced by the ideas of The Giver, of how the community should know its secrets. This causes him to believe that leaving the community would be the best, for therefore he can release the memories to the public. The Giver explains, â€Å"Rosemary had only those five weeks worth, and most of them were good ones [Memories]. But there were those few terrible memories, the ones that had overwhelmed her. For a while they overwhelmed the community. All those feelings! They’d never experienced that before.† (lowry 147). The Giver explains how if Jonas left or died, all the memories were to be given back to the people of the community. Something that they might not be able to handle, but nevertheless, believed is crucial to expose to them. With the Giver’s influence, Jonas revolts against the House of Elders, and leaves the community, releasing all the memories. Secondly, another reason that Jonas revolts is to protect someone he loves. Jonas abandons his set plan with the â€Å"Giver†, and leaves the community earlier than planned to save Gabriel from being euthanized. Thirdly, Jonas demonstrates the third characteristic of a dystopian character, as we get the hint that Jonas is special in some way. Lowry describes his eyes as something special, that he can perceive things that other can not see. In a way, he has a different view of society and people than th e rest and is more knowledgeable. He is given the job of the receiver for that reason, that with those memories he can see beyond and connect ideas together. Jonas was suppose to be good for the community, instead, he revealed the truth of the troubled nature of their existence. In Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 also demonstrates the reasons for a revolting protagonist. First, he demonstrates the reason of leaving his community to protect something he loved. Equality 7-2521 was criticized and ordered punished for his actions and his invention. The council ordered him dead, and his invention destroyed in the name of good for the community. Rand writes, â€Å" ‘You shall be burned at the stake’ said Democracy 4-6998† (Rand 72). This illustrates the seriousness of Equality 7-2521’s action to  the World Council, that it is considered evil and he should be punished harshly. Therefore, Equality 7-2521 revolts and runs to the Uncharted Forest to protect his precious invention. Secondly, Equality 7-2521 also explores the third aspect of a dystopian protagonist, which is that he is different from the rest of his community. As stated above, he is yelled at for being smarter than the rest of the boys. A dystopian protagonist often has a special ability that others in his community do not. In this case Equality 7-2521 has the power of Intelligence. He is intellectually superior to the rest of his community, illustrated by his ability to discover electricity and circuit a light bulb, something that the House of Scholars could not accomplish themselves. Clearly, both protagonist fit the perspective of the characteristics of a dystopia protagonist. Interestingly, the books were written about a decade apart, yet share such great similarities in characterization. The Governing Party In both books, we see a controlling governing party that controls the whole community. In The Giver, Jonas describes how the governing party control the aspects of family. He explains about how the House of Elders, selected his parents and sibling. In his community it was normal for the House of Elders to put families together, eliminating the element of choice from the rights of their citizens. Each person is chosen a mate, and never sees their biological children. They make the children, and afterwards other children are given to them by the House of Children. Then we are introduced to yearly ceremonies, in which we are told that this year Jonas will be receiving his job. His father discussed of how the committee selected a person’s job. â€Å"The committee always makes the list in advance, and it’s right there in the office at the Nurturing Center† (Lowry 17). Jonas’ father describes the draconian method in which a person’s profession is determin ed. Similarly, in Anthem we see the same effect of the governing party or a council. Equality 7-2521 talks about liking the Golden One, yet he cannot approach her because the council even controls the person to whom you procreate with. He explores the matter, when discussing how mating occurs in his community: â€Å"Each of the men have one of the women assigned to them by the Council of Eugenics† (Rand 41). He explains how each person is chosen a mate and forced to marry and  procreate with that person. Secondly, it is illustrated when discussing career and employment in his community. In Equality 7-2521’s community a job is selected by the World Council. He is given the job of street sweeper, which he hates. He thought that his intellectual powers would be useful in the House of Scholars. In both books, the government controls every aspect of the community citizen’s life. Erasing of Individualization and identity In observing the overall themes of the books The Giver and Anthem, the theme of erasing individualization and identity is present. In The Giver, we see the loss of identity by the impersonalization in Jonas’ family. The idea of how his parents and sibling are not biologically related to him gives him less of an identity. He does not know who his biological parents are, or if he’s related to anyone. He is forced into this family, who were picked by a group of people that do not exactly know him. Not knowing his background, Jonas can never know his true identity. Erasing of individuality and identity is also a major theme in Anthem. From the beginning of the book, we notice that Equality 7-2521 never uses the word â€Å"I† when referring to himself. He uses the word â€Å"we†, elaborating on the matter that â€Å"I† and being alone was forbidden in the community and seen as an evil sin. Not being able to identify oneself from the rest is a major sign of erasing of individuality and identity. He speaks of the matter when writing about the sin of being alone, â€Å" The laws say that none among men may be alone† (Rand 17). Not being able to say the word â€Å"I† or having personal time alone, a person can not personalize anything about themselves. Similar to The Giver, Equality 7-2521 does not get the choice of what job he is given, what mate he selects, or any major aspect of his life. Not having control of your life choices, and not being able to use the word â€Å"I† is how dystopian councils erase individuality and identity in the community. Conclusion: In conclusion, in order to outline the fine line between utopias and dystopias, we must understand the factors that cause a utopia to ultimately appear as a dystopia. This is shown through the conduct of the protagonists and also the great extent in which governing characters of a utopian society  attempt to perfect the world by controlling every aspect of a community. Moreover, to be able to understand and compare The Giver and Anthem, we must first understand what a utopia is and also, be able to understand utopian literature and dystopian qualities and the similarities between them. To understand utopias, we have to see which definition of utopia did the author use to explain their utopia. Either the definition of â€Å"no place’, or the definition of â€Å"good place†. We see in The Giver, that Lowry explains the utopia as a good place. Jonas’s characteris shown to have a good life, until he discovers the truth about his community. This reveals how his community turns into a dystopia for him, and he decides to leave his so perfect home. However, we see that in Anthem the definition of â€Å"no place†, was used in context. Equality 7-2521, never seems to be happy with his world. Rand creates a sad, and dark atmosphere to the setting as well as the plot in which we see his community in an unknown place, with no good forces at all. While Equality’ 7-2521’s perfect utopia is equal and all, it turns into a dystopia when he discovers that he is no longer accepted home. Both stories are great example of utopias turning bad, and becoming a dystopia. They start as perfect worlds, but when readers look closer, we see the flaws, allowing us to see the alteration of the utopias becoming dystopias. Overall, in examining at the characteristics that are similar in utopias, it is reasonable to conclude that to a great extent, The Giver and Anthem are similar utopian novels. Works Cited Ferns, C. S. Narrating Utopia: Ideology, Gender, Form in Utopian Literature. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 1999. Print. Gordin, Michael D., Helen Tilley, and Gyan Prakash. Utopia/dystopia: Conditions of Historical Possibility. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2010. Print. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print. Matteo, Qian Shuo, and Yu Lan. Utopia and Dystopia. Asia-Europe Classroom, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. . Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York: Dutton, 1995. Print. Spencer, Brooks. â€Å"Utopian Writing: Its Nature and Historical Context.† Oregonstate.edu. Oregon State, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. .